Jelani Remy, Tiffany Engen, Jay Armstrong Johnson & More to Star in STARTING UP: THE MUSICAL Industry Presentations

The new musical comedy Starting Up with book, music, & lyrics by Garett Press, directed by Jen Wineman, and with musical direction by Julianne Merrill, will receive a special industry presentation in New York City on December 1 & 2 at Pearl Studios.

Set in the oh-so-innocent age of 2010, Starting Up is a magical & hilarious journey through tech culture... and the internet itself. The story follows Scott, a lowly marketing manager at a man-centric media company, who dreams of becoming a bold & inspiring tech rockstar. When he's entrusted with a mysterious & powerful mobile app that helps him master any skill, his ambitions spin out of control, and his female coworkers have no choice but to save the f@#king world.

Cast includes Jelani Remy (Ain't Too Proud, Lion King), Tiffany Engen (Legally Blonde), Jay Armstrong Johnson (On the Town , Darilyn Castillo (Hamilton), Olivia Griffin (Griswolds' Broadway Vacation), Ahmad Maksoud (The Band's Visit), Robert Peterpaul (Seussical), and Brian Owen (Dog Man: The Musical).

With additional music & arrangements by Dan R eitz, the creative team also includes music supervisor Terence Odonkor (Some Like it Hot), stage manager William Spinnato , general managers LDK Productions (Be More Chill), music consulting by Okieriete Onaodowan (Hamilton), and producers J. Quinton Johnson (Hamilton) and Troy Press (NBA Entertainment).

Bios:

GARETT PRESS

(Book, Lyrics, Music) was trained as a lyricist by the renowned BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and is a Lead Creative Producer at HBO Max. He has been a published writer since high school when he was penning reviews of pop-punk and emo albums for then-famed music website AbsolutePunk.net. In the world of tech & marketing he has written and produced content for companies like HBO Max, Thrillist, Donut Digital, & JackThreads. He is also a comedian and performer with advanced training at Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and Magnet Theater. He's appeared in musical improv, music-less improv, and sketch comedy shows across NYC. Garett also created Unidentified: The Alien Abduction Musical with fellow BMI composer Sequoia Sellinger.

Jen Wineman

(Director) is a director and choreographer based in Brooklyn. Selected NYC credits to include Retraction (Theatre Row); Dog Man: The Musical (Lucille Lortel Theatre/ TheaterWorksUSA); Less Than 50% (59E59); Surfer Girl (Animus); My Heart is in the East (La Mama); Fable (NYMF), The King's Whore (Walkerspace); F#%king Up Everything (Elektra Theater). Selected regional credits include Tiny Beautiful Things (Merrimack Rep); Game On (Pittsburgh CLO); Shakespeare in Love (Virginia Rep); Into the West (Tantrum Theater); Baskerville (Dorset Theatre Festival); The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Asolo Rep & Miami New Drama); Sweeney Todd (Playmakers Rep); The 39 Steps, Shipwrecked (Triad Stage). Touring productions include Dog Man: The Musical (TheaterWorksUSA); Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Asolo Repertory Theatre). Jen is currently in post-production for her short film, written by Gardiner Comfort. Education: B.A. Vassar College, M.F.A. Yale School of Drama. www.jenwineman.com